Winter is Here
by Alluring Alliteration
Summary: It happens on a Saturday. He's been watching the weather channel for days, checking the thermostat four or five times a day, and driving his mom crazy asking when it's going to snow. But one chilly day in November, before he even sees the thin sheet of ice covering his window, Jamie wakes up and he just knows.
1. Winter is Here

**Rise of the Guardians: He's Here**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, or Jack Frost.**

**AN: I was struck by the image of Jamie waking up on the first day of Jack's return, bursting with excitement, rounding up his friends and leading them down to Jack's pond. So, here you are.**

It happens on a Saturday. He's been watching the weather channel for days, checking the thermostat four or five times a day, and driving his mom crazy asking when it's going to snow. But one chilly day in November, before he even sees the thin sheet of ice covering his window, Jamie wakes up and he just _knows._

He scrambles out of bed, fighting with the blankets, and winces a little when his bare feet hit the floor. Jamie trips over the carpet trying to pull on his socks, and almost has his sweater on before he realizes his shirt is backwards, but eventually he makes it out the door and downstairs, skidding into the kitchen on sock feet.

His mom looks up from pouring Sophie a bowl of cereal. "Slow down, kiddo. Where's the fire?"

Jamie grins at her. "Winter's here! I'm going to play outside," he says, grabbing his coat from the rack by the back door. He jams his favourite blue and white hat on his head and runs outside, slamming the door behind him. He's much too excited to eat breakfast today.

Frozen dew crunches on the grass beneath his feet as he hurries from house to house, banging on doors and asking if his friends can come outside. The twins trip over themselves trying to get their boots on the right feet. Cupcake grins at him and shoves her arms into her pink jacket, out the door before her mom can even say "yes". Eventually all of them are there- everyone who helped the Guardians in the fight against the Boogeyman. Jamie leads the way down to the pond, all of them running as fast as they can. He skids to a stop, chest heaving, and hears the others stumble behind him.

Their eyes scan the clearing, looking for a hint of white hair and a blue hoodie. There are a few moments of tense, hopeful silence before Monty clears his throat nervously. "Jamie, I... I don't think he's coming."

Jamie shook his head stubbornly. "He's here. I _know_ he is." He takes one step forward, then another, until he reaches the edge of the small pond. He tests the layer of ice that's frozen over the water's surface with his toe. It _feels_ solid, even though it's a bit early in the season for skating and pond hockey. He's about to step fully onto the ice when a voice stops him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." There's a laughter to the words, a hint of swift, cold breezes and snow days.

They spin around as one at the sound of his voice, young faces lighting up in excitement. "Jack!" Jamie yells, and he leads the charge as the children swarm over a laughing Jack Frost, knocking him onto the ground. For a few minutes, they're nothing but a laughing, wiggling blob of kids and elbows. Gradually everyone's arms and legs are untangled and sorted out and they fall apart, still giggling.

Jack sits up, tousling Jamie's hair and pulling gently on the string dangling from Cupcake's hat. "So, have you guys been good this summer?" he asks, giving them a teasing smirk.

Sly looks are exchanged, before Claude speaks up. "Well, not _perfectly_ good."

Jack's smirk turns into a full-on grin. "Well, you never want to be _too_ good."

Jamie nods eagerly. "We've been telling everybody about you! We've been getting people to believe in you so more of them can see you."

Unexpectedly, Jack feels a lump stick in his throat. He swallows hard, touched, and stands up, brushing off his sweater. "Alright, let's have some fun." With a wave of his staff, Jack Frost coats the side of the hill with a cover of ice, transforming it into a huge slide. "Who's first?"

Whooping and cheering, the kids ran up the hill, racing to be the first to slide down. Jamie hung back, smiling up at Jack. "I knew you'd come back," he said. "I knew it."

Jack smiled. "You don't stop believing in the moon when the sun rises, do you?"

"No way," Jamie promised, hugging the Guardian tightly once more. He broke away with a mischevious smile of his own. "Race you to the top!"

"Oh, you're on!" Jack took off, flying behind the first children to see him in three hundred years, laughing from pure joy. Winter was here.

**AN: Hope you liked it! Let me know by pressing that pretty little button down there!**


	2. Belief

**AN: So the last chapter was originally supposed to be just a one-shot. But I got such a positive response from you guys that I wrote this one in about 24 hours. Thank you so much for your kind reviews, follows, and favourites. Please don't hate me.**

The winter that Jamie Bennet was due to turn seventeen, the east coast of the United States was hit with the worst blizzard in that latitude since 1947. If anyone cared to analyze the storm, they would have noticed that one town in particular was in the centre of the blizzard.

Burgess was known for getting more snow than the rest of the state. Meteorologists had theorized that it was due to a unique micro-climate. Grownups simply shrugged and said that at least when the weatherman predicted snow, you could be sure he was right. The children of the town, however, exchanged sly winks and hid giggles behind gloved hands. They knew that Burgess's extreme number of snow days was due to the favouritism of a certain mischevious winter spirit.

But this storm was beyond the usual even for Burgess. People were warned to stock up on provisions, not to venture out into the howling wind, and school was canceled for three days, although no one could enjoy the snow, being stuck inside. Adults called it "the storm of the century". Kids watched the snow from their windows, wide eyed, wondering if this was another one of Jack Frost's winter pranks. No one knew that the cause of this storm had happened only a few days ago.

~*JF*~ ~*JF*~ ~*JF*~

Jack crouched on top of the statue in town square, his staff balanced across his knees, hands tucked into the pocket of his hoodie.

He'd been in Southern Canada for the better part of a week, freezing ponds and ice rinks, making sure that Quebec got a good dump of snow in time for their Winter Festival. And after all that hard work, how could he not stay to enjoy the Carnival D'Hiver, one of his favourite holidays? It was one of the only events that celebrated exactly what he was all about- ice and snow balls and sledding. Christmas was of course North's big day, and New Year's and Valentine's had their own spirits, boring and snooty though they were. Winter didn't have many holidays, and no one knew how to throw a winter bash like the Quebecois.

Jack shifted on his perch, watching the people hurrying past the town square. It was snowing lightly, big sticky flakes that were going to be perfect for snowballs and snowmen tomorrow morning. One child, a little girl being pulled along by her mother, spotted the Guardian crouched on top of the statue and waved cheerfully at him. Jack waved back with a cheeky wink, making the girl giggle. Jamie and his friends had spread his legend to the other kids in town, telling them about the mischevious Jack Frost. To them, he was the Spirit of Winter, bringer of snow days and cold noses.

Although he was still invisible to most of the outside world, there were very few children in Burgess who couldn't see Jack. His name was passed along in whispers in the school yard, a story told from brother to sister, so that even when some kids had to grow up and lost their faith in Guardians, new children learned the story of who brought snow days and threw the first snowballs in almost any fight. One town in the whole wide world wasn't much, but it was enough to know that when he got tired of people walking past or through him, there was one place he could visit where children called his name with joy and invited him to play.

Jack perked up as he suddenly spotted the face he'd been looking for. Jamie Bennet was walking home from school, backpack slung over one shoulder, talking to- Jack's eyebrows shot up. Was that a _girl?_ A wicked grin spread across his face. Oh, Jamie was _never_ going to hear the end of this one.

Hopping gracefully off the statue, Jack followed the two teenagers at a distance, keeping out of Jamie's line of sight. He watched as Jamie tripped over a sidewalk curb, blushing, and had to stifle a laugh. The girl was pretty enough, a brunette with a wide smile and a nose turned red by the cold. She laughed at all of Jamie's jokes, terrible though they were, which made Jamie glow with pride, and Jack choke with laughter.

FInally, Jack just couldn't keep his amusement to himself any more. Catching up to the young couple, he swung his staff playfully as he walked on Jamie's other side, smirking. "Well, well, well. Little Jamie has a girlfriend." There was no obvious reaction from Jamie, who continued to nod in agreement to whatever the girl was saying, but Jack thought he saw the young man's rosy cheeks get a shade or two redder.

Jack snickered. "Ooh, ignoring me, huh? Somebody's trying to look cool in front of a girl." He laughed, skipping a few steps in front of the pair so that he could walk backwards, facing them. "Jamie and a _gi-rl,_ sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Jack blew a breath of ice-cold air at the teenagers, making the girl shiver.

Jamie noticed her discomfort and almost strangled himself trying to get his scarf off quickly. "Here," he said, holding it out to her shyly. "I'm not that cold, you can borrow it if you want."

The girl smiled at him and accepted the scarf, wrapping it twice around her neck. "Thanks. It's very soft."

Jamie smiled back. "You're welcome."

Jack rolled his eyes at the mushiness. He may not be able to remember much of his past life, but he was pretty sure he'd never been _that_ sappy with the girls in the village. He continued to follow the pair, trying to catch Jamie off guard. A patch of ice under the boy's feet made him slip, and Jack was sure that Jamie was about to shout his name in exasperation, but the girl caught him swiftly by the elbow, and he quickly regained his footing.

Finally, the teenagers stopped in front of a small two-story house. Jamie cleared his throat nervously and the girl smiled up at him. "Bye, Jamie. I'll see you on Monday, yeah?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Jamie nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Monday. Definitely." He waved as she climbed the steps up to the porch. "Have a good weekend!"

"You too," she said, before stepping inside and closing the door. Jamie stood there for a minute, staring stupidly at the house, before his face broke out into a goofy grin. He practically skipped as he turned and made his way down the street, humming to himself a song that Jack doesn't know.

He followed, of course, laughing at Jamie's lovestruck expression. "So, what's her name?" Jamie didn't respond, other than turning up the collar of his jacket now that he no longer had his scarf. Jack cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. It's the silent treatment, huh? Real nice, Jamie. Very mature."

Deftly, he hopped up onto the top of a fence running alongside the sidewalk. His bare feet found toeholds no mortal could, and he held his staff out in front of him for balance, keeping pace with his first friend. "So, how long have you and this young lady been a-courting? Was it a schoolyard romance?" He gasped dramatically. "Were you passing notes in class, Jamie Bennet? What a naughty boy!"

When Jamie didn't answer, he reached out and hooked a low-hanging branch with the crook of his staff as Jamie passed underneath it and pulled. The movement dislodged the snow, dumping it right onto poor Jamie's head, but all he did was brush off his hat and shoulders and keep walking, ignoring the winter spirit.

Jack frowned, now concerned. "Come on, Jamie, don't be like that." He had to walk a little faster to keep up, jumping down from the fence. "Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Jamie said nothing, turning down the street to his house.

Fed up, Jack planted himself in Jamie's path. Jamie would have to either acknowledge him or knock them both over. He opened his mouth to demand that Jamie stop with the silent treatment, when Jamie walked right through him.

Jack froze in shock, his heart pounding. "No," he whispered, spinning around. "No, no, no!" He tried to grab Jamie's shoulders, to shake some sense into him, but his hands just passed through the teenager as though he isn't even there. "You can't forget me, you _can't!" _His voice cracked on the last word, but Jamie didn't notice. He couldn't see any of the young Guardians's anguish, deaf to the sound of Jack's heart shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces. Jack stood stock still as Jamie kept walking, leaving him alone in the snow.

~*JF*~ ~*JF*~ ~*JF*~

Somehow, he managed to keep it together until he was above the cloud level. Then he _screamed,_ all the pain and loss pouring out of him. The wind whipped into a frenzy around him, pulling at his hair and clothing as tears leaked from his eyes. The temperature dropped steadily, until no human could have withstood it. Storm clouds built higher and higher around him, filling the sky. Jack gripped his staff tightly with both hands, until it felt like the wooden ridges were biting into his skin.

Angry tears streaking down his face, Jack Frost stared up at the full moon, visible through a small gap in the clouds. "Why?" he demanded, furious. "Why would you make him forget me? Do you _want_ me to be alone?" Choking back a sob, he curled up on himself, clutching his staff to his chest. "I don't want to be alone," he whispered to the storm raging around him, but no one was there to hear. "Why does he have to grow up so soon?"

Suddenly, Jack head snapped up, his eyes burning a fierce icy blue. "It was _her_," he hissed, straightening. "_She_ made him forget!" Clutching his staff, Jack dropped through the cloud layer, falling towards the ground. A gust of wind carried him sideways, until he was hovering in front of the house of the girl who'd been with Jamie earlier. A vicious wave of his staff froze the windows and doors shut, until it would take a good shove before they would open. Smirking vindictively, Jack coated the driveway and nearby sidewalk with a slick layer of dangerous ice.

He was about to decorate the house's gutters with a collection of heavy, razor-sharp icicles when he caught a glimpse for the girl through a nearby window. She was sitting on the floor behind a younger girl, braiding her hair as her little sister played with a doll. The younger girl turned slightly, letting Jack see her face. He staggered back from the window when he realized it was the child who had waved to him earlier that day.

Jack turned, suddenly feeling sick, and flew off, heading straight as an arrow for the Bennet house. He'd visited there so often he could probably find it in his sleep, which was fortunate since the driving snow made it hard for even the Spirit of Winter to see where he was going. Finally, Jack landed with a thump on Jamie's window sill.

The window was closed but unlocked, and Jack cracked it open enough to hear Jamie's voice drifting upstairs through the open bedroom door, laughing and chatting with his mother and sister. Jamie's room no longer held toys and crayon drawing, but instead band posters and textbooks. It was a teenager's room, not a little boy's.

Jack rested his head gently against the window pane, watching his presence coat the window in a layer of frost. Suddenly he sat up, his mind racing. With one finger, he carefully traced the image of a rabbit onto the glass. If it had worked before...

His heart was pounding as he crouched on the window sill, listening to the sound of Jamie climbing the stairs. He held his breath as Jamie entered his bedroom, dropping his backpack on the floor. "Look at me_,"_ he begged. "Look at the window. _Please_, Jamie."

It felt to Jack as though his heart had leapt into his throat when Jamie did turn, walking over to the window. He brought his face almost against the glass as Jamie frowned at the picture of the rabbit, exactly the same as the one Jack had drawn seven years ago.

"Say my name," he breathed, his face only a few inches from his old friend's, separated by a thin layer of glass. "I won't leave ever again, I promise, I'll make every day a snow day, just _say my name._"

Jamie traced the rabbit with one finger, still frowning. "Mom, Sophie was in my room again!" he called over his shoulder.

"I was _not!_" the eleven-year-old replied from downstairs.

"Well, someone left the window open, and it wan't me," Jamie said, shutting the window and locking it with a click. Jack could still hear his voice as he turned away, though it was muffled. "You'll let all the cold air into the house."

Jack sat crouched on the window sill, his chest heaving. He blinked hard, trying to stave off fresh tears, and swallowed. The blizzard he'd created kept going, cold snow piling up in drifts, as Jack Frost pressed a trembling hand to the window of the first real friend he'd ever had.

~*JF*~ ~*JF*~ ~*JF*~

North dipped a finger into a batch of butterscotch flavouring, tasting it carefully. The yetis had been hard at work, crafting candy canes for the coming holiday season. He smacked his lips, considering the taste. "I don't like it. Try cherry." One of the yetis groaned, hitting his head on the worktable.

The Guardian was about to move on to the next batch, when one of the yetis tugged at his sleeve, trying to get his attention. "What? What is it?" The yeti, known as Phil, let out a long grumble that would have been incomprehensible to anyone else.

"Jack Frost? Here? Well, why didn't you say so, Phil? Take me to him!" The grey-furred yeti grumbled, but led North to a room on one of the uppermost floors of the workshop. North opened the door, expecting to see a grinning Jack Frost up to his old tricks. Instead, he saw the youngest Guardian sitting by an open window, his staff leying at his feet, staring out at the frozen landscape. North frowned, eyebrows knitting together, and entered the room, closing the door behind him. Even when sitting, Jack was never this still- he crouched, or swung his legs, or fiddled absentmindedly with his staff.

He approached the boy slowly. "Jack? Is everything alright?" A chill not caused by the open window swept over him as a horrible idea occurred. "Is it Pitch? Did you see something?"

North sucked in a breath as Jack turned to face him. The teen's eyes were red from crying, and his hair was even more of a mess than usual. He wiped a runny nose on the sleeve of his hoodie as North stared, shocked. When he spoke, his voice was raw from sobbing. "He forgot. Jaime forgot me."

North's eyes widened. To lose your first Believer was a heavy blow to any Guardian. He still remembered the first child who had believed in him, Dmitri Molchanov. Jack had been alone and invisible for more than three hundred years, much longer than any of the other Guardians. He must be in terrible pain.

Overcome with sympathy, North reached out and grabbed Jack, pulling him into a crushing embrace. The young Guardian was stiff at first, shocked by the blatant display of affection, but gradually relaxed into the hug. His fingers curled into the fur of North's collar, hugging the big Russian back.

"Why?" Jack asked, voice ragged. "Why do they have to grow up?" He burrowed his head into North's coat. "Why did he forget me?"

"Oh, Jack." North smoothed down Jack's hair with one hand. "Everyone grows up someday. Even those we think will believe in us forever. It is part of being a Guardian. The children grow up, and leave us behind. Then, if we are lucky, they have children of their own who will believe in us. That is how we live on."

Jack pulled back enough to look North in the eye, still sniffing. "What if all of them forget? What if I'm alone again? North, I don't want to be invisible."

North gripped Jack's shoulders tightly. "We will not let that happen, Jack. You will _never_ be alone again."

**AN: So I really didn't set out to write a "Jamie stops believing" story. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that no one stays a kid forever, as sad as that may seem. I think that Jamie would have held on to his belief longer than any one else (I stopped believing when I was nine and found Easter eggs in my basement storage area), but eventually every thing comes to an end. I'm not totally happy with Jack being in-character, but I did the best I could. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Bring It Back To The Centre

**Rise of the Guardians: Bring it back to the Centre**

**Rating: K**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Guardians, or Jack Frost.**

**AN: Based on a head canon of mine. Sorry it's been a while. "Centre" is spelled the Canadian way. Enjoy!**

"Seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!" Jack uncovered his eyes and looked around eagerly, searching for the bright flash of iridescent feathers. Laughing, he jumped off the platform he had been standing on, letting the wind carry him from pillar to pillar. The older guardians watched from their seats on a nearby balcony as Jack peered into nooks and crannies, looking for the tiny tooth fairies.

Bunny chuckled as they watched Jack narrowly avoid collision with a decorative spire. "Ya know, I have to admit, the little icicle isn't a bad Guardian after all."

Sandy hid a smile in his tea cup as North clapped Bunny warmly on the shoulder. "Deedn't I tell you he was not so bad? Now he is Guardian, you are becoming friends, yes?"

The grey Pooka held up a paw hurriedly. "Woah, slow down there mate. I never said we were friends."

Toothiana laughed, a lovely tinkling sound like a wind chime. "It's true though, Bunny. You and Jack still bicker, but we all know you don't really mean it."

A triumphant shout interrupted their conversation as Jack found one of the fairies he was looking for. Heads turned to watch Jack's celebratory loop-de-loops between the pillars of the tooth palace before he resumed his search. Even Bunnymund had a smile on his face at Jack's antics.

"I guess it's _possible_ I was wrong about the little blighter," the easter bunny admitted. "But it's not all me. Frost's changed since our fight with Pitch."

Sandy waved his hands to get the attention of the others. He pointed at Bunny, then in Jack's general direction, and patted his midsection. Tooth frowned and tilted her head in confusion. "Bunny and Jack... made you sick?" Sandy shook his head emphatically. "They made you sad?"

The small golden guardian huffed in exasperation and used his dreamsand to create a miniature Jack and Bunnymund above his head. The chests of the tiny look-alikes then swung open to reveal smaller balls of brightly glowing sand inside them. Sandy pointed up at the figures emphatically, then made a slashing motion with his hands.

North stroked his long white beard thoughtfully. "Sandy, are you saying Jack and Bunny did not get along because of their centres?" Sandy nodded enthusiastically and sat back, miming wiping sweat off his forehead. North frowned. "But why?"

Tooth sipped at her tea. "Well, Jack's centre is fun, isn't that right?" She shrugged feathery shoulders. "Maybe he could tell how little fun you were having, and that's why he didn't warm up to you." She giggled at the accidental pun. "So to speak."

Bunny sputtered indignantly. "I know how to have fun! That gumby isn't the only one who can have a good time!" Three eyebrows raised skeptically at this statement.

North chuckled. "My friend, you must admit you were being a leettle... uptight, as they say." Bunny scowled.

Tooth frowned. "So Jack didn't like Bunny because he didn't know how to have fun," she ignored the sound of protest, "But why wouldn't Bunny like Jack?"

The pooka snorted. "You mean, besides the smart-arse comments and no respect for other people's hard work?"

North cracked his knuckles absentmindedly, ignoring as he always did Sandy's exaggerated shudder of disgust. "Bunny, your centre. It is... Hope, yes?"

Tooth scoffed, waving a dainty hand. "Come on. There's no way Jack could be completely without _hope._" There was a pause as the four guardians eyed each other. Tooth looked shaken. "Could he?"

All four of them turned to watch Jack as he chased one of the tooth fairies around and around the pillar holding all the children's teeth from South America. Bunny's voice wavered when he finally managed to speak. "He always felt sort of- empty, ya know? I thought he was just a glory-hungry showoff, but-" He swallowed hard, furry Adam's apple bobbing. "To go that long without bein' hopeful fer anythin'..."

Sandy shook his head sadly, once again creating an image of Jack out of a trickle of sand. The other guardians watched as sandy "children" passed through Jack, seeming to ignore his presence. Miniature versions of themselves and a golden moon appeared, standing together and away from Jack, leaving him all by himself, alone and invisible.

Tooth covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes brimming with tears. "Oh, _Jack..._"

North frowned, dark eyebrows knitting together over the eyes that were normally so full of wonder. "Jack Frost is complicated spirit. Just because ice looks clear, does not mean there are no things hidden under surface."

Bunnymund thumped the table with his fist, a determined look on his grey-furred face. "Well, he's not going to go without hope any longer. We'll make sure of that." He glared at his fellow guardians until they nodded in agreement. The furry guardian crossed his arms as he sat back, keeping a sharp eye on Jack's joyful flight. "No hope," he grumbled under his breath. "Ridiculous. No one can go without _hope._ 'Sa wonder the bloody snowflake isn't even more mad."

The four guardians looked up as Jack's bare feet landed on the tiled floor of the balcony a few feet away. "Alright if I sit with you old-timers for a bit? The words and tone were teasing and a cocky grin decorated the younger guardian's face, but the ice-blue eyes betrayed his anxiety. Something else was hidden there too, though- Maybe even a glimmer of hope.

Tooth patted the empty chair between herself and Bunny, smiling kindly. "Of course you can, Jack!" North pushed the plate of cookies towards Jack' with a wink as he perched on the seat of the chair. Sandy gave him a thumbs up and a grin, and Bunny ruffled his snowy white hair with a large paw.

"Ya've always got a spot at this table, Jack," he promised solemnly.

Jack eyed him with suspicion. "Is there a reason you're being weird, or are you all trying to freak me out?"

Bunnymund snorted. "Whateva' Frostbite. Just eat the cookies and shut up."

Jack rolled his eyes and snatched a cookie from the plate, taking a careful bite. "So, I seem to remember someone promising to tell me the story about that time the elves got into the spiked eggnog."

"Yes, was very funny," North laughed, tucking his hands behind his head. "Well, it started with annual After-Christmas party..."

The guardian of hope watched as the white-haired boy settled in to listen to the story, a faint smile on his pale face. If he had his way, Jack Frost wasn't going to be without hope for another minute of his immortal life.

**AN: So my theory was that the Guardians can subconsciously sense the presence of their "centre" in others. They aren't necessarily aware of it, but it can definitely influence their opinion of someone. One of the reasons Jack didn't like Bunny was because he was too uptight to have fun. Bunny didn't like Jack because he could subconsciously tell that Jack had no hope.**

**Sandy was one of the hardest parts to write in this chapter! He's very expressive without spoken words, and it was tricky to convey that in a non-visual medium. I hope I did okay- let me know in reviews!**


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